More research is needed on the health of the children and grandchildren of troops exposed to environmental pollution and chemicals while they served in the military, several U.S. senators say.

Before returning to their states Aug. 1 for recess, Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Mark Begich, D-Alaska, introduced a bill that would require the Veterans Affairs Department to establish a center for researching the health conditions of descendents of troops who may have been exposed to toxic chemicals.

Amid public furor over revelations that employees at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Phoenix concealed a massive backlog of patients waiting up to a year for treatment, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned. The hospital reportedly placed patients on a secret list to evade scrutiny by federal regulators who grant bonuses for maintaining short patient wait times. Whistleblowers have alleged treatment delays are to blame for the deaths of at least 40 veterans at the facility.

With new information regarding the presence of these defoliants on Okinawa emerging rapidly, this article aims to update readers on the most significant developments. First, it looks at the recent statement from a senior US official who claims defoliants were tested on the island between 1960 and 1962. Next, it examines a 1966 Air Force document which seems to debunk contemporary Department of Defense denials that herbicides were ever present on Okinawa. Following this, the article explores new evidence that these defoliants were used post-1972 - specifically on Iejima Island as well as at Camp Foster and MCAS Futenma. Finally, it outlines the press conference I held in Nago City on November 4th where, for the first time, Okinawan residents told the media about their experiences of US defoliant usage on their island.

The analysis underlying the Tribune's story on U.S. veterans' disability claims is based on data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that includes more than 3 million claims and nearly 12 million diagnoses as of Jan. 5, 2010.

Leading Democrats like to hold up the Veterans Benefits Administration as an example of how well government can provide health care. But veterans who deal with the complex federal bureaucracy have invented an unhappy refrain to describe the VBA: "Deny, deny until you die."

World Focus correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer travel to Vietnam to report on the long term impacts of Agent Orange/Dioxin on the Vietnamese land and people. This video report was part of their series on New Vietnam.